


The Keystone To Recovery

by Bluey



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Family, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2018-09-15 10:16:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9230507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluey/pseuds/Bluey
Summary: Sycamore supports Alain through his recovery after the near destruction of Kalos.





	1. Chapter 1

The first few days after they’d saved Kalos were a blur of pain medication induced sleep for Alain. 

In a perfect world he’d get patched up and carry on with his life- return to the lab, continue with his research and pick up where he left off like it was nothing. However, the reality was far from that. Getting over this incident would take time, and that wasn’t just his physical ailments of a separated acromioclavicular joint, broken ribs and all the cuts and bruises that littered his body. Trusting others would take time and trusting himself… well he thought he’d never be able to do that again after the destruction he’d caused. 

Professor Sycamore tried his best to be at Alain’s side as much as he could, even if he was half asleep most of the time. Like any parent he would squeeze his hand as he was being put under anaesthetic so his shoulder could be operated on and distract him when he needed to have a needle of any kind- despite everything that had happened, Alain HATED injections. But it wasn’t just Alain who felt guilt, Sycamore felt terrible after everything that had happened and seeing his own child laid in a hospital bed only cemented this. He wished he could have done something, been able to turn back time and stop him leaving on his journey or stop him before he got involved with Lysandre… but he couldn’t. He knew deep down that in time they’d be alright, but now he had to stay positive for Alain. 

The trauma soon started to rear its raucous head after those first few days though. Sycamore would never forget the first time he woke up and was convinced that Lysandre was coming for him. He couldn’t unhear the piercing screams as Alain panicked and thrashed around and tore out the cannulas in his arm and tried to run away. 

He didn’t need to run. 

He was safe.

Lysandre was dead. 

He had Sycamore and Garchomp and Charizard to protect him. 

He’d always been told and had told himself that he had to be the strongest, Excellence wasn’t just an act. It became an ingrained habit… he felt anything but strong that at the moment as Sycamore petted his hair, wiped away the tears from the sobs that were coming out of him so hard that it was leaving him breathless and whispered those words to him to try to get him to calm down a little.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alain can finally come home... despite his initial doubts and fears.

“I don’t deserve this” Alain murmured aloud as he got in the car to return to the lab with Professor Sycamore. He felt like he couldn’t, not with all of the terrible things that he’d done. He should be punished, be taken away by Officer Jenny or be forced to live in exile from his loved ones. After all he felt like he was the catalyst in Lysandre’s plan. If only he’d never accepted that bloody Charizardite X from him, looked harder for his own stones. 

Those “if onlys” were constantly spinning around in Alain’s head. 

“None of this was your fault Alain” Sycamore reminded him, looking the boy in his eyes that were more than often red caused by tears and sleep deprivation. “He was the one who manipulated you… abused you and caused all of this” he continued, placing a hand on Alain’s good shoulder. “You deserve to be happy. You deserve to smile again.”

Alain gave an apprehensive nod. He didn’t truly believe Sycamore because the guilt he felt still remained like a heavy weight on his chest, but the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to return to the lab. The lab was his home and was all he’d ever known, it was where he’d grown up ever since he was left on its doorstep when he was a week old, and he had so many happy memories learning and playing there throughout the years. The fondest of these was when he was introduced to his partner, Charmander on his 10th birthday. It was the safest place he could be. He hadn’t felt safe in a long time.

Sycamore had similar thoughts. The two of them discussed it with the doctors and nurses and had come to the conclusion that going home, going back to the safest place possible for Alain would be the best option and would help significantly with his recovery. He didn’t know where else he could possibly go, but it was likely with the state he was in now that it wouldn’t do him many favours. Having Alain at home with him meant he could be there for him like he had been before he left on his journey and he could provide him with all the support he could possibly need, especially since he was due to start going to counselling to deal with the trauma that Lysandre had left and physiotherapy later down the line once his shoulder had healed enough after surgery. Most of all though, he missed him. And that feeling was mutual between the two of them. 

Everything was going fine until they passed Prism Tower. Alain caught sight of the scene where their battle took place and he found himself struggling for breath and his heart beating a mile a minute. He curled up as much as he possibly could and closed his eyes tightly, trying to shut the memories out. He couldn’t help it, he couldn’t help the flashbacks of being surrounded in those never ending vines and feeling so helpless as he realised the energy he’d been collecting had put Ash and his friends and Marin and everyone else he loved and the entire world in danger. 

Professor Sycamore noticed his obvious discomfort and turned to him. “Alain? Are you okay? Do you need me to stop the car?” he asked, concern thick in his voice.

Alain shook his head quickly, wanting to be away from the landmark as fast as possible. The flashbacks, however were currently blinding him, making him forget that the tower, like the rest of Kalos and, well, himself was now healing after the incident. 

The next time he opened his eyes, the car had stopped and he was home for the first time in what seemed like forever to him. It would take some time but he’d finally be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to whoever's reading this!! I was kinda apprehensive to start writing i guess? I've got a few more chapters planned for this anyway so stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes good memories can help you to deal with the bad ones.

_“Look Alain. This is the beginning of my perfect world”_

_“You helped to create this”_

_“You and Ash are my chosen ones”_

And then he sees a blinding red light, and he’s surrounded by those thick, black vines before he even has chance to respond to Lysandre. They suffocate him and then he can’t see anything at all, but he hears a familiar voice.

_“CHESPIIIIIIIE!!!”_

He tries to call back to Mairin, to tell her that he’d save Chespie, but he can’t. He’s entwined in the vines and they squeeze every last bit of oxygen out of his lungs.

He can’t breathe. He tries his best to speak to her but no words come out of his mouth.

Until he screams and he’s finally woken himself up from that horrible nightmare.

Alain jerked awake at that and sat bolt upright, his heart was racing, he was gasping for breath and a cold sweat drenched his body until he finally registered where he was. He wasn’t exactly calm yet and was just about to reach for Charizard’s pokéball until he heard a familiar voice and then his bedroom door start to open.

“Alain? It’s me,” Professor Sycamore said calmly as he entered the room. He was just about to head to bed himself until he heard Alain’s screams. He’d been having nightmares at the hospital too after everything that had happened so he was used to this happening to him now, although a small part of him had hoped that Alain being home, in familiar, safe surroundings would lessen them, if not stop them all together. He was forever the optimist though.

“Bad dream again?” He asked in a soft voice as he turned on the bedside light and kneeled by Alain’s bed. He rubbed his back reassuringly, being mindful of his injuries.

Alain nodded as he took a few shaky breaths in and out. “W-wh-when will it just stop?” he choked out before he burst into tears, leaning into Sycamore. He felt safe here, yes, but that didn’t stop him from seeing Lysandre in his dreams even though he knew he was dead, or from reliving the events any time he was triggered by something or in his subconscious as he slept.

And then he felt a little embarrassed that he was here at 15 years old in hysterical tears over some stupid nightmare. He was keeping his dad, the regional professor awake when he needed to sleep because he actually had a job to do tomorrow unlike himself.

“I’m sorry… I’m fine,” He croaked out as Sycamore handed him a tissue to dry his eyes. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Sycamore however as he could tell that Alain was totally Not Okay. He’d had a good afternoon today though once he’d finally returned home from the hospital. He was reunited with all the pokémon in the lab’s enclosure including Garchomp and Psyduck and he could honestly say that he felt genuinely happy for the first time since he left.

“Alain you’re not fine at all” Sycamore told him pointedly. “You’ve gone through a lot of trauma… but that’s okay and I’ll be with you every step of the way.” He reminded him as he gave him a gentle squeeze. He reached to pass Alain another tissue, his tears nearly all gone now as his hands brushed against something soft. “Is that?” he questioned as he held a plush Charmander toy in his hands and studied it after he handed Alain the tissue. It was old and worn but obviously well loved.

“Charmie” Alain murmured, his voice still a little crackly from before. A small smile appeared on his face as he caught sight of it. Sycamore had bought it for him when he was little and it went near enough everywhere with him… that is until he was old enough for his first Pokémon. He then glanced at the pokéball nearest to him. Perhaps he’d show Charizard tomorrow.

“I didn’t know you still had him” Sycamore replied fondly as he set it on Alain’s lap. Even when Alain was away on his journey and he missed him deeply he never went into his room and pried on his things. It just didn’t seem right and he deserved respect and privacy after all. Alain nodded and slowly laid back down, making himself as comfortable as he possibly could, given his current situation injury-wise. He hugged Charmie close to him with his free arm and all the memories from way back when came flooding back, much better memories than the ones that constantly plagued his mind. Things were much more simple when he could just play pretend all day. He detected the faint scent of lavender and had flashbacks of bedtime when he was younger. Sycamore noticed he found it hard to switch off his brain and just go to sleep at night because he was so curious. Living in a lab didn’t really help much mind, but Sycamore was the same when he was a kid. So to get Alain to unwind he would spray Charmie with lavender and read fairy stories to him about Xerneas until he fell asleep. “I don’t think I’d ever get rid of him” he said softly and looked up at Sycamore.

“Feeling better?” Sycamore asked, noticing Alain’s significantly calmer demeanour compared to when he first entered the room. Alain nodded in response, a faint blush on his cheeks, somewhat embarrassed by all this still. “Marvellous, try and get some more rest though, okay? You have your first therapy session tomorrow.” He reminded him as he brushed Alain’s hair out of his face. Sycamore stayed with him until his breathing slowed and his eyes started to droop. And then he stayed a little while longer just enjoying the fact that Alain was really back home and that this was the most peaceful he’d seen him in a while. The two of them really would be starting from the ground up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alain struggles to get a full night's sleep and has his first therapy session.

Despite how calm and peaceful Alain looked when Sycamore left him, he woke up 5 more times that night, gasping for breath from the reoccurring nightmares that asphyxiated him. Each and every time he would bury his face into Charmie or his duvet in order to muffle out his cries. Sycamore didn’t have to deal with this… deal with him. He was kind enough to let him return to the lab despite everything he’d done and he didn’t want to inconvenience him with his emotional baggage. 

It was 4:30am when Alain woke up the fifth time and he’d spent an hour after that trying to sleep again but he just couldn’t seem to drop off. Plus he didn’t want to relive his nightmares yet again. He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair contemplating what to do next. There was a tiny part of his brain screaming for him to just up and leave because things would be better that way. The professor would be better that way and he didn’t deserve his love after what he’d done. 

He glanced at his bag for a long time, seriously considering it, before he caught sight of Charmie and remembered that feeling of safety and how Sycamore had told him that he was happy to have him back. Maybe he was doing the right thing by staying? He didn’t know for sure but he’d ask whoever he was going to see tomorrow for their opinion. 

Alain let out a sigh before slowly getting out of bed and reaching for Charizard’s pokéball. He couldn’t stay in bed any longer, he knew that for sure. He padded down the hallway being as quiet as possible so not to wake Sycamore and eventually he ended up in the laboratory’s pokémon enclosure. He smiled slightly and released his companion before he carefully sat on the grass, using her for support. The enclosure had always been his favourite place and he’d grown up alongside many of the pokémon there. He laid down and Charizard laid beside him as the two of them looked up to the sky from the glass roof above them. 

“I’m scared” Alain admitted and glanced over to his best friend. Charizard nuzzled closer to him in an attempt to provide him with comfort. He didn’t know if it was because he was just alone with Charizard or because of how late it was and how sleep deprived he was but Alain found it a little easier to open up and talk about things, he wouldn’t repeat them in front of anyone else though. 

“I’ve got so much to make up for… and I don’t know how I can do it” he told her. “I know dad loves me, it’s just, well I don’t feel like I deserve to be loved” he sighed and watched the sky grow lighter as the sun came up over Kalos. “I k-kinda wish I could be younger again cause I didn’t really have to worry about anything then” he murmured more to himself more than anything, reflecting on what had happened earlier on that night.

He looked up at the sunrise and thought about so many things, Sycamore, his past, his future, his friends and what they were doing now. All of those thoughts swam around his mind as the fresh sunlight washed over him. He closed his eyes and so did Charizard.  
“Alain?? Wake up!” Sycamore said softly as he shook his good shoulder. He let out a sigh of relief when his eyes started to flutter open because given the circumstances, he was worried. He had gone to his room to wake him but was greeted with an empty bed and Charizard’s pokéball gone, so naturally he’d jumped to the worst conclusion. Luckily he’s found him as he ran around looking for him before Sycamore let anyone know he’d gone missing. 

“Hmm?” Alain murmured, slightly dazed and confused. “Oh… I fell asleep” he announced as he sat up and slowly got to his feet again. 

“Careful” Sycamore said as he helped him back up. “What were you doing in here?” he asked, he wouldn’t mention that he was worried as it would likely make things worse for Alain.

“Well I just… it got to a point where I couldn’t sleep” he explained vaguely as he called Charizard back to her pokéball. “I kept on having that dream again, he said as he followed Sycamore into the kitchen for breakfast. 

“You should have told me” Sycamore said softly and gave him a sympathetic look. “You didn’t have to be on your own” 

“Yeah but… I didn’t want to wake you up or disturb you” Alain explained. He would have liked for Sycamore to be there, for him to comfort him and hold him like he did the first time, but that just wasn’t feasible… He had his first black coffee in a long time that morning. He was physically and mentally exhausted but his body and mind wouldn’t let him rest. 

Despite the exhaustion, Alain still had to go to therapy. An hour later the two of them were setting off for his first session and to say he was nervous was an understatement. He knew he had to go though, despite the sickly feeling in his stomach. 

“Hey, it’s okay… you’ll be okay” Sycamore soothed and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder once he noticed Alain’s obvious tension when they were finally inside the building “I’ll be right outside” he told Alain as he nodded in response. “I’m really proud of you for doing this.”

“Alain Sycamore?” 

He took a deep, shaky breath as his name was called by a kindly old lady who was the receptionist and followed her down the hallway. He entered a large, quiet room where a younger woman and her Blissey, who were both sat by a desk, were waiting for him. 

“Hello Alain, My name is Eloise and this is Blissey” she introduced herself and her pokémon partner. She looked a little like Nurse Joy however she was shorter, her hair was a lighter shade of pink, and she didn’t tie it back like Joy did. She seemed nice enough, however it would take Alain a while before he could trust her and really open up to her properly, but that was expected.  
“I’d just like to get to know you a little today” she explained to him as he sat in a chair opposite her and nodded in response. “Feel free to let your pokémon out if you have any” 

“I’d like to have Charizard with me, if that’s okay” he asked shyly and brought her ball out. Eloise nodded encouragingly, hoping it could be a talking point for the two of them as Charizard was released and stayed close to Alain, providing him with protection.

Luckily it was and Eloise got a lot more than she expected out of Alain in that first session. He told her about Sycamore and how he’d got Charmander for his 10th birthday and how he was a research assistant. 

He told her he’d gone on a journey… but then he stopped, freezing and unable to talk about it anymore… not today anyway. 

“I’m not expecting you to tell me everything just yet” Eloise reminded him comfortingly, once she noticed that the events after then were a problem. “We’ll work together through everything for as long as you need.”

“Thank you” Alain nodded as he stayed close to Charizard. He was done for today. 

Sycamore was surprised to find that Alain was not shaken up or particularly distressed when he walked back to the reception area to meet him. He’d been worried about him as soon as he’d left and he was relived to see him once he was back. 

“How was it?” Sycamore asked tentatively as they got in the car to head home, the concern evident in his voice. 

“Uhh, it was okay” Alain replied, “She- Eloise just wanted to get to know me really” he explained. Honestly he was happy that she wasn’t going to force him to remember all the painful things that he didn’t want to relive straight away.

Like she said, they’d work through things a step at a time at his own pace.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alain realises that there are both highs and lows when it comes to getting better

“I’m really proud of you Alain” Sycamore told him as they headed back to the lab. “It takes real strength to go through what you are, and to be able to open up to someone.”

“Thanks?” he replied sheepishly, a faint blush on his face. He was happy that Sycamore was happy although he didn’t really consider himself to be brave at all. It was then when the intense burning pain hit his bad shoulder and he whimpered and twisted his face in discomfort. 

“Alain? What is it?” he asked as he led him inside. He suspected it was his shoulder with the way he was acting, but he wanted to make sure. 

Alain, unable to respond as he was trying his best to grit his teeth and keep a straight face, was made to sit on the sofa. “I’m fine” he strained and looked away from Sycamore. 

“Alain Sycamore you aren’t fine when you can’t even speak because of the pain.” Sycamore said sternly as he looked down at him. “Now let me have a look at your shoulder,” he said more softly this time. “The bandages will probably need changing too,” he told himself more than Alain. “Now just wait here for 2 minutes okay?” he said before he went to retrieve the bag of dressings and medication the hospital had given to them. 

“Yes papa” he sighed and rolled his eyes trying to be sarcastic. He wasn’t sure why he’d stopped referring to Sycamore as his dad really though. He guessed it was when he’d started working at the lab as his assistant properly, it seemed more professional in front of the others, Sophie and Cosette, even though they didn’t seem to mind. His train of thought was interrupted when Sycamore returned. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Sycamore asked gently and sat next to him. Alain didn’t realise but as he was thinking about the past, silent tears made their way down his cheeks. He was tired mainly. Tired of the pain and the nightmares and not feeling normal anymore. 

“Hurts” Alain croaked out and bowed his head in defeat. He just wanted it all to stop. 

Sycamore gently wiped his tears away with his thumb. “Why don’t you take some painkillers?” he suggested with a soft smile, handing him them and some water. He watched as Alain nodded and swallowed the bitter tasting medicine as fast as he could before grimacing. “And then you can take a nap once I’ve taken care of your shoulder.”

“But I…” Alain interjected. 

“No buts Alain” Sycamore chided as he carefully untied the sling his arm was in so he could get to the injury. “You’re tired… and the painkillers you have make you feel drowsy.” He explained simply to him as he inspected the site of the operation for any infection before cleaning it up and re-dressing it. He tried to be as gentle as he could but at a few days old, the wound was quite tender still and Alain was trying his best not to mutter curse words under his breath. 

“All done” Sycamore said happily as he secured his arm back in the sling. In a way this kind of made him feel nostalgic and reminded him of when Alain was little and would come to him crying with a scraped knee after falling over and he would make it all better. Obviously this was a lot different but he still felt that nostalgia. 

“Thanks dad” Alain said appreciatively with a small smile as he looked over to him. A yawn then escaped from his lungs and he didn’t want to say so but Sycamore was actually right about him feeling drowsy. “I just wanted to help out and get back to normal,” he murmured, trying to explain himself.

“And you’ll be able to in time, but for now you need to rest and get better or else you wont be able to do your job properly” Sycamore hushed him and held an arm out for a hug which Alain gratefully reciprocated. “You need to be kind to yourself” he reminded him and ran his fingers through his hair to try and get him to sleep. 

“I guess” Alain said slowly as he felt his eyes starting to droop shut, he tried his hardest to fight the sleepiness that overcame him, a bit like when a pokémon was attacked with sleep powder, mainly because he was just enjoying the calmness he felt at that moment in time. It made him forget everything for a little while and made him feel safe like nothing could hurt him anymore.

 

With the ups also came the downs and Alain was reminded of this later that day. Despite having an okay morning, Alain was reminded how not okay he was and had six panic attacks that afternoon. To be honest, he felt pathetic. He wanted to help and do whatever he could in the lab, despite Sycamore’s protests but he just kept breaking down. He wasn’t sure how it came about or what had caused it but he’d also started sucking his thumb when they started to happen. Yes it made them less bad and pass quicker but it was embarrassing and made him feel less normal than he did already. Sycamore had seen him do it a number of times and despite him being the least judgemental person he knew, Alain couldn’t help but blush a bright tomato berry red whenever he knew that he’d seen him. 

The rest of the day had taken it out of him and mentally, he was exhausted when it came to night-time. Alain was doubtful but he’d hoped that this would be enough anxiety for the day and his mind would actually give him a break to actually get a decent night’s sleep. 

He was wrong. 

Everything he’d experienced yesterday was repeated once more, however there was one thing that was different tonight. Sycamore was there for every time he woke up. After Alain had told him about last night, he’d made sure to check on him every few hours, even if Alain protested about it. He didn’t want him to go through this alone. It was heart-breaking seeing him like this and he wished that taking away his son’s sadness came as easy as mega-evolving his Garchomp. 

His dad, Augustine Sycamore was there for him every time he woke up to comfort him and hold him and hush him while he sobbed into his chest and to remind him that it was just a nightmare and that Lysandre couldn’t ever hurt him again. It was then when Alain put himself first instead of the guilt and willingly accepted the comfort and attention with open arms. He was being kind to himself for the first time in forever. 

After all, Sycamore had promised Alain that they’d get through this together.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alain is unsure of his new coping mechanism. His therapist Eloise is completely supportive of it.

A week had passed, and things were near enough the same for Alain. The anxiety attacks and fear continued in the daytime in addition to his physical pains and the multiple nightmares when he tried to get some rest at the end of the day persisted too. However he was making small steps in actually accepting Sycamore’s help and love, which was unconditional from the start anyway, as opposed to letting the guiltiness that he first felt stop him and make him feel like he wasn’t worthy of it. His newly developed habit during his anxiety attacks carried on too, although neither of them had discussed that together, Sycamore being afraid of making Alain feel uncomfortable and Alain himself, being too embarrassed to talk about it. 

“I don’t want to go” Alain said pleadingly to Sycamore as he followed him out of the lab. He had to go to his weekly therapy session with Eloise today, but if he was honest he was having one of those apathetic days where he didn’t see much point in it because nothing was going away and if anything things were worse as he felt less normal now than when he first returned to the lab. 

“Alain… you know we’re doing this because it’s the best thing for you” Sycamore said sympathetically as they walked alongside each other. “Plus today you’ll be starting to talk about things properly now that you’ve both gotten to know each other I presume,” he reasoned. 

“I guess you’re right” Alain sighed after a few moments. Plus hopefully she’d maybe have some solutions and explanations for the whole thumb-sucking situation, he thought to himself. “I just thought I’d be getting over some stuff by now” he admitted to Sycamore. 

“Alain… You’ve been through so much” Sycamore gently reminded him. “You’re not going to recover in a week… besides, I can see the small steps you’ve already made and I’m so proud of you for those.”

Alain gave him a small smile and nodded slightly. Sycamore was right. He knew it would take some time, he supposed he should try and stop being so hard on himself. 

Around half an hour later Alain had, had his name called by the same woman at the same time as last week, whilst Sycamore waited in the reception area for him, although this time Sycamore was less nervous considering how well last week went. 

“Hello! How are you doing today?” Eloise asked as Alain was greeted by a familiar face and voice and pokémon inside the room he’d been told to go to. 

“Uhhh well I’m” Honestly, he struggled to answer that simple question. Things could be worse for him, he could be in a much poorer mental state, heck he could still be in hospital right now. He wasn’t exactly A- okay at the moment though. He fiddled with Charizard’s pokéball before releasing her for morale support. 

“Want to talk about it with me?” Eloise offered as she got up from behind her desk and sat opposite him so she was closer, Blissey following her too. 

Alain nodded tentatively after a few moments and let out a sigh. “It won’t stop… They won’t stop, the panic attacks all the time and the nightmares I keep getting them and they wont stop” He rambled. “I wake up every few hours because of them, because of HIM, it’s all my fault, all of it” he tried to explain. 

Charizard noticed the change in his mood and sat closer to him, ready to protect him from anything and everything. 

“Alain, its okay, take your time” Eloise said, also noticing the change in his mood. She decided to give him a few minutes to regroup before attempting to probe further about his issues. 

“Would you like to tell me about the nightmares?” Eloise asked as Blissey walked closer to Alain and offered him an egg. She was good in that she worded things so that Alain didn’t feel pressured to tell her things if he didn’t want to just yet. 

Alain took the egg and clutched it in his hand, his knuckles turning white because of how tightly he was holding it for support. He wasn’t calm at all. “There’s these-these vines and I c-can’t breathe” he felt his heart starting to race and he then felt that same asphyxiation feeling again. “I c-can’t breathe I CAN’T BREATHE” he gasped. He saw red and the tears made their way down his cheeks again. He felt dizzy and he couldn’t see properly. He dropped the egg, put his thumb in his mouth and curled up as small as he possibly could, self-soothing until the feeling had passed like he always did now. Charizard draped a wing protectively over his back.

Eloise couldn’t do much apart from note the behaviour he was displaying currently, and the things he did during the attack. Although it was good for her to see what happens she did not intend for him to have a panic attack. 

“You don’t have to tell me just yet if you can’t” Eloise assured Alain as he tried his best to compose himself. He took his thumb out of his mouth, blushing and wiped his eyes with his hands. She probably thought he was mental. 

“And you said the attacks and nightmares happen frequently throughout the day and night?” she asked, writing things down for his file. 

Alain nodded, avoiding eye contact with her because of the way he’d just acted. “They used to last longer but I started doing something to calm down” he mumbled and swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn’t want to admit to his childish habits and how they helped him but he needed to know if it was bad or not. 

“That’s good!” Eloise praised him “Can you tell me what they are?” she asked, inviting him to talk. 

Alain fidgeted uncomfortably where he sat and he felt his cheeks blush bright again. “ I uhm I’vestartedsuckingmythumbagain” he spat out quickly before hanging his head in shame. “And I uh I have an old plushie that calms me down” he mumbled in a voice no louder than a whisper. 

Eloise studied him wordlessly for a moment. She had an inkling of something she wanted to try but this just confirmed it. “And how do they make you feel Alain?” she asked slowly, still watching him.

“Good… safe… It kinda makes me forget about stuff for a while” he responded awkwardly.

“And are you hurting yourself or anyone else by doing it?” She probed. 

He shook his head, still avoiding her gaze. 

“So it’s a perfectly valid coping mechanism for you to use then.” She concluded. 

Alain looked up with a sceptic expression “You don’t think it’s weird?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Eloise dismissed his question. “Not at all. In fact it’s very normal for some people to want to regress to a time in their lives when they felt totally safe after going through something traumatic. Or to do little things like you’re doing at the moment to calm down” She explained to him. “For some individuals, fully regressing helps to block out the trauma until they can work through it with someone like me… then as they get better, they use the coping mechanism less.” 

Alain suddenly looked very relieved at that validation, he thought for a few moments before starting to speak again. “I...I think I’d like to try that if that’s okay?” he said, a faint blush still remaining on his cheeks whilst he looked her in the eyes this time. 

“I’d like you to try it too” She agreed as she carried on scribbling notes for his file. “See, overtime you’ve put up all of these walls over the past few years and, well, this could help you to bring them down” she justified. 

“There’s just one thing” Alain interrupted, causing Eloise to pause. “Would it be possible for you to tell my dad? You’ll probably explain it better than me.” He asked shyly as he returned Charizard and got to his feet. Eloise following him out of the room. 

Sycamore was called, the three of them returned to Eloise’s office and she explained everything to him, Alain would look at the two nervously every now and then, mainly Sycamore though as he was trying to gauge his reaction and luckily he seemed to be fine with it… maybe even a little enthusiastic. Truth be told, he was. He’d missed Alain during the time he was gone and honestly, it would feel good that he could do tangible things to take care of him again. It was agreed between the three of them that once Alain could finally work through things, he would then move on to trying cognitive behaviour therapy to stop everything once and for all. The two of them walked out of the office, feeling much better than when they went in. Alain especially.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alain gets to grips with some coping mechanisms.

Sycamore couldn’t help but smile to himself as he passed Alain’s sleeping form in the small lounge of the lab. He set his bag down as quietly as he could, so not to wake him. Over the past week, he’d gotten into the habit of falling asleep for about an hour before lunch because of how little sleep he’d been getting during the night and today was no exception. However following their discussion with Eloise that morning, Alain was more compliant and less apprehensive to do so today. Before he would try to stay awake and insist he should do some work but it was all to no avail. 

The two of them had talked more about his therapy session that morning on the way home and had agreed that Alain would try his best to go into a regressed headspace as soon as he could in the hopes that it would help to try and block out the trauma and Sycamore would do whatever he could to look after him. He knew it would take Alain a little getting used to, but they’d get there eventually. Whilst Alain was taking his nap, Sycamore had called to the shops to buy some things that he might need for him and had found some of his old toys that had been put in storage for years. Sycamore sat down for a few minutes opposite Alain, just being able to enjoy having a few moments of quiet to himself, before getting up to get lunch ready as he’d probably wake up soon. 

It was about 15 minutes later when Sycamore heard familiar footsteps padding towards him in the kitchen and turned around to see Alain, as suspected. 

“Hey there sleepyhead, you have a nice nap?” Sycamore asked in a soft voice that was usually reserved for small and scared pokémon. Alain would be hearing it a lot more now though. 

Alain nodded and let out an incoherent mumble before he yawned. He was still kind of drowsy and disorientated and his head felt like it was full of Mareep wool. Still this was better than his brain feeling like it was on fire like it had done for a while now. 

Sycamore chuckled at his response and ruffled his already dishevelled hair once he’d taken a seat at the table. “I bet you’re hungry non?” he asked, not really expecting a response. He knew that Alain would be shy and quiet and a little embarrassed still until he settled in to a regressed headspace. He set a plate down in front of him that had a sandwich cut into small pieces with a few carrot sticks and a sippy cup- one of today’s purchases, that was full of berry juice. 

“Thanks” Alain said softly and gave him a small smile before he felt his stomach growl at him. The aftermath of the incident had caused him to feel near enough constant nausea due to the anxiety and black coffee had practically become one of his major food groups, so this pang of hunger came as a surprise to both of them. He’d take it slowly though in case his stomach was actually just playing tricks on him though. 

Sycamore was getting a little bit of paperwork done as Alain ate lunch, every now and again he’d glance up at him with a smile on his face. His assistants in the lab were very understanding of the whole situation luckily, so he was told to just do whatever he could until Alain was better, he couldn’t help but try and be productive as much as he possibly could though. 

Around half an hour later he stopped what he was doing and looked up to see Alain playing with the remains of the food he didn’t want anymore. “You’ve done a marvellous job Alain!” he praised, making the boy jump a little from his train of thought. “Sorry!” 

“S’ok” Alain replied nonchalantly as he got up to put his plate in the sink, but was stopped by Sycamore. 

“Ah let me take care of those” Sycamore insisted as he took the plate and cup away, washing them and filling the cup back up with water. Alain wasn’t really the best at remembering to stay hydrated. 

“Now, I’ve got to do some work outside in the enclosure, so how about you play out there for a little while?” Sycamore suggested as he lead him out of the kitchen. 

Alain nodded eagerly as he followed him. He used to do that all the time so hopefully it would help him to relax. “And Charizard?” He asked. 

“Of course Charizard can come” Sycamore assured Alain. The two of them called in the lounge to get Charizard’s pokéball, and a few toys including a plushie Gible, which Sycamore spotted today and just couldn’t resist buying for him, before heading to the enclosure and getting Alain settled somewhere where Sycamore could keep an eye on him. It didn’t matter too much though as Charizard would be watching him too. She was fiercely protective of her trainer and that only increased when he would show his vulnerability to her. 

It took Alain a little while, and he still felt a little awkward and silly, but eventually he started to relax and have a little fun. Sycamore even saw him smiling for the first time in a long time as he babbled to Charizard and showed Garchomp his new Gible, which honestly warmed his heart. Alain stayed there pretty much for the rest of the day and it was quite hard for Sycamore to get him back inside. 

Once he finally coaxed Alain back in the lab, the Gible under his free arm and Charizard following behind him too, they had dinner…where Alain was much more talkative and then it was time to get Alain ready for bed. 

“I bought you this whilst I was out too… I saw it and it made me think of you” Sycamore said with a soft smile as he handed Alain a bag before he went in the bathroom where a warm bubble bath was waiting for him. Alain opened the bag and pulled out the soft, orange fabric garment, grinning once he realised what it was… a Charmander onesie. 

“I love it!! Thank you Papa!!” Alain gasped and hugged Sycamore. 

“You’re very welcome” Sycamore chuckled at his reaction and ruffled his hair affectionately. “Now hurry and have your bath… it’s nearly bedtime,” he reminded to which Alain nodded in response. 

Alain returned to his room some time later, where Sycamore and Charizard were waiting. Charizard spotted the outfit her trainer was wearing and crooned affectionately whilst trying to nuzzle up to him, much to both Alain and Sycamore’s amusement. “I love you too” He laughed and returned her affection, perhaps he’d leave her out of her pokéball tonight. 

Soon after, Sycamore made sure that Alain had everything he needed, checked he’d taken his medication and got him settled before tucking him into bed and reading stories to him from an old, dusty picture book that had remained on the shelves alongside more serious, studious works just like he used to, whilst Charizard curled up on the floor. 

Alain snuggled up to his Gible and Charmie and inhaled the familiar lavender scent that was much stronger now, whilst he listened to Sycamore’s familiar words until he let sleep take him. He’d heard the story so many times that he could easily quote it word for word. He didn’t care though. It felt like home, comfort and safety.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alain goes to his first therapy session in his headspace.

The two of them slowly slipped into a routine as the week passed and Alain eventually got into a full headspace, where he wasn’t embarrassed about the situation and he didn’t overthink things and worry about Sycamore. Like Eloise said, it helped a lot, especially during the day, the flashbacks and anxiety attacks had gone because he blocked them out whilst he was regressed… The night however, they were still working on as he still had multiple nightmares a night, although they had decreased in number which was always a good thing. 

Sycamore woke up at 7 every morning, thankful that he was able to get a little more sleep now; they were both over the worst of it after all. He then proceeded to get himself ready for the day. He would shower, get dressed and take a strong coffee into the enclosure to watch the warm, bright sun shine on another new day in Kalos and to greet the pokémon that resided there. After an hour or so, his attention turned to Alain as he headed back to the kitchen to get some oatmeal cooking for the both of them, before going upstairs, setting some clothes out for him and then, finally waking him up. 

Alain’s eyes slowly fluttered open as he felt a familiar comforting touch ruffling his hair. Sycamore had noticed that they seemed different in this headspace; they were wider, brighter, and sparkling with curiosity at everything and anything all over again. He let out a yawn as he sat up and rubbed the sleep away from his eyes. It took him about 5 minutes to come round but after that he was full of beans for the rest of the day. 

“Papaa, I wanna say hello to Garchomp” Alain told Sycamore as they walked towards the kitchen for breakfast. As always he carried Charmie, and now Gible too with him. 

Sycamore thought for a few seconds before letting out a small sigh, “Alright, alright, you can. You’ve gotta be quick though because breakfast is nearly ready and we’re going to see Eloise today.” He told him. He’d always found it hard to say no to Alain. “And don’t run or you’ll hurt yourself” he warned as the boy was already speeding up but trying his best to keep his balance. 

\---

“Why we seeing ‘Loise?” Alain asked curiously in between mouthfuls of oatmeal that he was dribbling more on himself than anything as he looked up at Sycamore. 

“Because…” Sycamore started, finding it difficult to explain the whole concept of therapy to Alain. “Eloise has lots of toys in her office and she really wants you to come and play with her.” He told him and chuckled when he gasped excitedly. 

“Wanna play with ‘Loise too!” Alain agreed and wiggled around in his seat. Once he’d eaten breakfast, Sycamore took a damp cloth and wiped his face and free hand, which were covered in oatmeal.

“Yeah? You’re excited huh? She’ll want to have a talk with you too” He told him. Although Alain was much too excited to question the last part. “Now you’d better go and get dressed so we can get going.” 

Some time later, Alain came back downstairs all dressed and ready to go… well Sycamore had to straighten his clothes up and tie the laces on his shoes for him because he did everything quite haphazardly now, but apart from that they were ready to set off once Sycamore was sure that they had everything he could need. 

\---

“Papa look at that pokémon!!” Alain gasped and pointed to the Sylveon they just drove past

“Wow!! Do you know what it’s called?” Sycamore quickly glanced over and asked enthusiastically before fixing his eyes back on the road. 

“Uhhh s’aaa” Alain thought as he furrowed his eyebrows and started to suck his thumb. “Don’t know” he said honestly as he looked up to Sycamore. 

“That’s a Sylveon” He told the curious boy slowly. 

This exchange continued with different pokémon until they got to the surgery. 

The surgery itself had no other patients in waiting for appointments at the minute because Eloise wanted Alain to be as comfortable as possible. Plus she wanted him to be in his headspace during their session. Once they were checked in with the receptionist they were able to go to her room straight away to get started, Sycamore joining him this time. 

“’Loise!!!” Alain called happily as he walked into the room alongside Sycamore. The room itself was a little different this time, there were colourful beanbags to sit on, on the floor and various toys and games scattered around. 

“Hello Alain!” Eloise greeted cheerfully and walked towards him, crouching ever so slightly so she could be at his eye level. “And who’s this that you’ve brought with you today?” she asked, motioning to the plush Charmander under his arm as she lead him towards the centre of the room where the beanbags and toys were, Sycamore following behind them. 

“Charmie” He told her as his grip on the plush tightened slightly. Eloise gave him a knowing smile before inviting him to sit and play with whatever toys he wanted whilst she talked to Sycamore, so he did just that. 

“So, how’s he been doing? I can see he’s in his full headspace now.” She asked, turning her attention to Sycamore as she got Alain’s file ready to make notes. 

“We’re… getting there” Sycamore mused as he glanced over to Alain who was still inspecting all of the different playthings. “It’s definitely helped during the day… the panic attacks have stopped. It’s just night time that’s the problem.” 

“I see” Eloise mused as she scribbled furiously on the paper. “So the bad dreams are still happening?”

“Yeah… Although he’s been having less of them since all of this” Sycamore added. 

Eloise nodded and looked up at Sycamore. “These things just take some time Augustine,” She said softly. “But he’s making good progress… and as we work with him, the issues at night should resolve too.” She assured him. “How has it been for you, having Alain like this?” She asked as she observed the boy and his interactions with different toys ever so often.

“Honestly? I’ve enjoyed it. It’s nice that I can take care of hi-“

The two of them were disrupted by a small, alarmed squeal coming from Alain who instantly shuffled over towards Sycamore with tears welling up in his eyes and his thumb in his mouth. 

“What’s wrong?” Sycamore asked ever so gently as he wrapped his arms around Alain, in an attempt to soothe him. He looked over to where Alain had been playing and that’s when he spotted the plush Pyroar, his eyes widened, instantly knowing what had upset him. “It’s the Pyroar” Sycamore told Eloise. “I think it reminded him of the nightmares he’s been having”

Eloise nodded, understanding. Obviously she’d seen everything that had happened in Kalos and was aware of what happened with Lysandre, but this was about getting Alain to process the events that had happened. “Okay, I’d like to work with him on this during our next session. She told Sycamore who’d got Alain calm and had encouraged him to keep playing. The Pyroar just gave him a nasty shock more than anything. 

“That’s great… although we won’t be able to come next week as he has to go to the hospital for his shoulder” Sycamore told her, paling at just the thought of it, he hadn’t even brought it up with Alain yet. 

“That’s no problem… Just get in touch once Alain’s better” Eloise told him before shuffling closer to Alain. The rest of the session was spent playing with the various toys on the floor and was tear free for Alain. It was done mainly so that Eloise could get to know about Alain in his headspace- things such as his approximate mental age- in order to make their next appointment together as successful as possible.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alain goes to hospital for his shoulder injury.

_“So tomorrow, we’re gonna get up early and go to the hospital. There’ll be lots of nice people there and you’ll have to take a little nap and then when you wake up your shoulder will be all better.”_

Sycamore replayed the conversation he had with Alain last night in his head as he prepared himself for the day ahead. Today Alain would be getting the pins out that were currently holding his shoulder injury in place whilst it healed. A simple 5-minute procedure where the individual would have been awake under a local anaesthetic but this was not the case in this situation. After calling the hospital and explaining Alain’s headspace, alongside the information Eloise had sent them, it was agreed that Alain would be asleep under a general anaesthetic because of how upset and scared he was likely to be. He never liked injections even before he regressed after all.

“Alain? You’ve gotta wake up buddy.” Sycamore told him softly as his face twisted with guilt. He didn’t want to put him through this at all, but he had no choice… it was for the best and it was the best way of doing it. The guilt multiplied when Alain let out a tired whine in response… He’d only just fallen back asleep from another nightmare about an hour ago.

“Do you remember what we talked about last night?” Sycamore asked tentatively as he bit his lip. He was trying his best not to let his own nerves show. Similar to some of the pokémon in the lab, Alain in this headspace would sense Sycamore’s nerves and fears and would in turn make his own anxieties worse.

“Don’ wanna” Alain whined glumly as he forced his eyes open and pouted, hoping to change Sycamore’s mind about taking him. He knew exactly what was about to happen but he refused to acknowledge it.

“I know sweetheart” Sycamore sighed and looked down at him. “You’ll be all better once it’s done though” he reminded him and put an arm around him. He stayed like that for a few moments before calling Charizard over to pick Alain up so she could carry him to the car. She crooned softly to Alain and wrapped her protective arms around him, shielding him with her wings slightly and nuzzling into him. It was like he was one of her own Charmanders, especially as he was still in his onesie. Sycamore double-checked that he had everything they needed, especially Alain’s Gible and Charmander before they set off.

Alain was fairly quiet on the way there, only really making a few noises of discontent as he sucked his thumb. He was still tired, had had his usual routine disrupted, wasn’t allowed to eat until after the surgery and wanted to be going anywhere else apart from the hospital. So naturally he had every right to be upset. He was like that all the way until they checked in and they were taken to his hospital room. Sycamore just wanted today to be all over and done with so he wouldn’t have to see him like that anymore. He’d always been protective of Alain, but him being in this headspace made him even more so.

“Papaaa, wanna go home” Alain whimpered pitifully as Charizard set him on his bed and Sycamore recalled the companion to her pokéball. Alain’s eyes were brimming with tears and he looked like he was about to break, especially because he could sense Sycamore’s own nervous energy that he was trying his best to suppress.

Sycamore was just about to utter words of comfort to him when Alain’s surgeon, Dr Morris who saw him the last time he was here, interrupted them, to carry out some pre-op tests to make sure Alain was well enough to go under anaesthetic. Last time the three of them met, he was quite a strict individual, so before he even said a word, Alain was off the bed and ran to the only place he could possibly hide in the room- the bathroom, whilst bursting into tears.

“Alain.. please come out… it’s okay” Sycamore pleaded with him as he walked to the door and heard the sobs coming from the other side. “Dr Morris isn’t going to make any owies.” He promised him and bit his lip as he heard the boy hitching his breath. Eventually, the door slowly opened and he ran straight over to Sycamore, who, with some more coaxing, managed to lead him back on to the bed to sit down.

“Now, Alain… I need to do a few little tests but I promise none of them will hurt” Dr Morris told him slowly once he was somewhat more calm. He then spotted the two plush pokémon at the foot of the bed. “You can do them to Charmander and Gible first before I do them on you if you’d like?” he asked softly, a completely different man with his younger patients. After some deliberation he received a small nod from Alain who brought the beloved toys closer towards himself.

It took Dr Morris a little longer than he expected, but after lots of encouragement from himself and especially from Sycamore, he finally got everything he needed from Alain… and Charmie… and Gible too. Everything could go ahead as expected. Eventually the two of them were lead to the anaesthetist. Sycamore swallowed a lump in his throat. Alain grew tenser by the second.

“We go now??” Alain asked Sycamore hopefully as his lip started to wobble. The room they were in was different and there were people dressed in funny clothes and it scared him quite a bit. He hid behind Sycamore and saw one of the funny people approach his papa. He couldn’t make out what they were doing but after a moment they left. “Don’ like it.”

Sycamore then turned to face Alain. “Not just yet… Hey it’s okay.. Come over here” Sycamore told him in that gentle voice Alain was now so familiar with once the sobs started again, as he lead him to a chair that was in the room. It was a little awkward because of how tall he was, but Sycamore managed to get him settled on his lap, calmed down and distracted with his two comfort toys enough for one of the anaesthetists to be able to slip the gas mask on Alain. The drugs worked in seconds and he was soon a dead weight resting on Sycamore’s chest.

“My big brave charizard” Sycamore murmured to Alain as he felt himself shed a tear, before he was taken away from him for the surgery.

The next half an hour was agonising for Sycamore… He couldn’t express the relief he felt when his boy was out of surgery and finally coming round from the anaesthetic... He couldn’t imagine how Mairin must have felt waiting for Chespie to wake up…but if it was anything like this at all. He sat by Alain’s bed and waited for him to wake up, as did Dr Morris to provide any assistance that they’d need. The sling that supported his injuries was now gone, although it would take some time for him to gain full functionality of his shoulder again and his beloved Charmander was tucked securely under his good arm. Eventually he tried his best to open his eyelids.

“Alain? Come on, wakey wakey sleepyhead” Sycamore encouraged as he played with Alain’s hair. His eyes were finally open but he wasn’t exactly awake. He was extremely disorientated and confused. As a result he started to wail loudly, stopping suddenly when he felt a sudden lurch in his stomach. He sat bolt upright and before he could say, or do anything else he was sick down himself… That made him cry even more.

“That’s okay… It’s not your fault. We can get you cleaned up” Dr Morris said as he tried to assure Alain, before turning to a worried looking Sycamore. “This is a pretty common side effect after anaesthetic” he explained as he set to work changing Alain from the hospital gown that had been put on him during surgery, back into his onesie. “I wouldn’t worry unless the vomiting persists tomorrow… He might be a little feverish for the rest of the day too.” He warned Sycamore, who bit his lip in concern. In addition to those issues,

Dr Morris also explained that irritability, tearfulness, clinginess and tiredness were also extremely common, post-op. That meant that there wasn’t an awful lot Sycamore could do apart from ride the side effects out with Alain for the next few days and just give him as much love and affection as possible. He mulled this over and glanced at the boy in the passenger seat of the car who was currently spark out, asleep. The two of them had to stay at the hospital for another half an hour to make sure Alain was okay- which he was apart from showing all of the anaesthetic’s effects that had been explained to Sycamore. Clinginess especially, and so Dr Morris could get them some medicines for him, before Sycamore was finally free to take his “big brave Charizard” home.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alain and Sycamore have some visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating this for a while. I had a bad case of writers block and I was doubting myself a lot. Thank you to anyone who is actually reading this garbage! haha! 
> 
> That being said, if there's something in particular you want to see in future chapters then please let me know and I might include it!

After a few days of constantly clinging to Sycamore, like a komala to its log, Alain was feeling much more like himself. That, coupled with the fact that he could easily get himself up on his feet now and was more mobile with the use of both arms, meant that Charizard and Sycamore had to be extra vigilant, as they’d learnt that morning when Alain was running towards Psyduck and nearly fell into the pool in the lab’s pokémon enclosure.

Charizard had honestly been a godsend during the past few weeks as luckily, she was able to handle Alain nearly all by herself, and Garchomp usually helped too, which meant the professor was usually able to get at least some work done to take the pressure off of Sophie, Cosette and his other assistants. Today however, work was just not meant to be for anyone in the lab as he was due to run some tests on samples of stones and other things found in Frost Cavern that were related to the ever growing questions related to mega evolution whilst Alain was in the capable hands (and wings) of Charizard for the morning… But in typical Sycamore fortune, the machine had broken and was unable to function. He just had to hope that Meyer wasn’t too busy to swing by the lab and take a look at it. Without a moments hesitation he dialled the number and waited until a familiar voice answered his call. 

“Professor! How can I help you?” 

“Meyer, please, call me Augustine.” He chuckled and idly walked out towards the enclosure, cell phone in hand. “I was wondering if you could pop over to do some repair work today- that is if you’re not busy?”

“That’s no problem!” came the cheerful reply. “It’ll be nice to catch up too… I can be over in a few minutes actually, if that works for you?” 

Sycamore hesitated with his reply when he spotted Alain who was currently rolling a ball towards Charizard, remembering their current situation; he wasn’t sure how he’d react to Meyer being here. “Oh! Uh would you mind coming a little later? Say… 1 o’clock?” 

It was a done deal. At least at that time Sycamore was pretty certain that Alain would be asleep to make everything a bit easier for everyone involved. 

\--

“How about we play a game?” Sycamore suggested as he crouched down to be at Alain’s level. He couldn’t really do anything work-wise now until Meyer came to repair the machine after all. “Do you remember how to play hide and seek?” he asked, receiving an excited nod from the boy in response. 

He chuckled as Alain sprung to his feet, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “Great! Well you have 10 seconds to hide, okay? Just make sure Charizard goes with you”

“Y’not gon’ find me!!!!” Alain yelled joyfully as he started to run and find a hiding spot. Charizard gave the professor a knowing look before heading in the direction of his trainer to catch up with him. 

“Now where could they be??” Sycamore mused aloud after 10 long seconds as he paced the enclosure. Alain’s giggles could be heard within earshot and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling whenever he heard them. He continued the pretence of not knowing where he was for a little while until he eventually decided to follow the sound of his boy’s contagious chuckles. After all it was his turn to hide next. 

This carried on for quite a while, Alain obviously not finding it as easy to find Sycamore even with the help of Charizard, but it entertained him nonetheless and when he finally did he would always let out an excited squeal. It was the fourth time for the professor to seek Alain and before he’d gone to hide he’d already warned him that it would be the last game before nap time, much to Alain’s discontent because he was having fun and was absolutely “Not Tired At All”, which is what he was trying to convince Sycamore before he ran with Charizard to go hide. 

Sycamore raised an eyebrow once he’d reached the number 10 and noticed that the enclosure that was previously filled with not-so-subtle giggles was eerily quiet. Worry ran through his mind when he heard nothing, what if Alain had hurt himself? Or was having a panic attack? The game became much more serious to him and he was about to turn his back to go find him but was stopped in his tracks at the sight in front of him. 

The trainer’s beloved Charizard was laid on her back, with Alain, who was fast asleep sprawled out on her tummy. He had his face nuzzled in to her as much as possible and she kept an arm around him and a close watch over him. They never quite got around to hiding a fourth time because he was so tired out from running around all day. 

“Oh thank Arceus” Sycamore uttered under his breath as he felt a heavy weight being lifted from his chest. The concern written all over his face dissipated and was replaced by a grin at the image of the two of them. His train of thought soon stopped when he heard Meyer’s voice calling his name and left the two of them to nap, undisturbed, whilst he went to greet his good friend... He didn’t realise that Clemont and Bonnie had both come along too though. 

“Professor Sycamore!!!” Bonnie chirped cheerfully as he walked toward the main entrance of the lab where the family were waiting, he gave her a smile although he was a little taken aback that herself and Clemont were here with Meyer. 

“Hi Bonnie, Clemont, it’s great to see you both… Thank you for coming at such short notice Meyer,” he said appreciatively. “I can’t do a great deal until the machine is repaired… How are you all doing anyway? It’s been a while.” 

“We’re doing alright” Meyer shrugged. “I’m just glad everything’s getting back to normal in the city again.” 

“Yeah, the Lumiose gym is back up and running again… and I’m nearly there with Clembot” Clemont added

“Its just kinda boring without Ash and Serena being here anymore” Bonnie interjected with a small sigh, to which Clemont nodded in agreement with. 

“What about you, anyway profe…uhh Augustine?” Meyer asked with genuine concern, not letting Sycamore get a word in edgeways before smiling a little at his own slip of the tongue. “And Alain? He’s back working with you at home, right?” 

Sycamore bit his lip slightly and inhaled as he thought of how to answer his questions. “I’m okay” he replied calmly. “Alain…hasn’t been doing so great though” he admitted. 

“Oh? Is he still not out of hospital?” Meyer probed worriedly as he put a hand on both Bonnie and Clemont’s shoulders, noticing their equally anxious expressions, Alain was their friend after all. 

“No no! He’s back home!” Sycamore gasped, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean to worry you all like that, my apologies.” 

He paused to gather his thoughts. 

“You see he’s been having quite a few issues over the past few weeks… guilt, and panic attacks, and nightmares and the such” He explained. 

“Poor Alain” Clemont murmured sympathetically. 

“So we’re- he’s been seeing a therapist for the past few weeks to try and help him... and she suggested for us to use age regression as a coping mechanism to block out the trauma” he told them. “It’s helped some, but he’s not really Alain as you know him, so try not to be too shocked when you see him.” he warned and bit his lip as he looked at them to gauge their reactions. Luckily everyone seemed relatively calm about the situation. 

“What does that mean?” Bonnie asked curiously. 

“It means that at the moment, Alain is acting much, much younger than he actually is” Sycamore explained. 

“Well as long as it’s helping him, that’s the main thing.” Meyer concluded, to which everyone nodded in agreement.

\--

Alain let out a small sigh as he started to stir which caused Charizard to coo in concern once she realised he was awake much earlier than usual. Meyer was busy repairing the machine in the lab, Sycamore was cooking lunch for everyone as it had been decided that Meyer, Clemont and Bonnie were to join the two of them so they could catch up properly, and Clemont and Bonnie were with the pokémon in the enclosure at the other side of the room to ensure that they wouldn’t disturb Alain. Every now and then, the two of them would look over at him and wonder what Professor Sycamore meant when he said he wasn’t Alain as they knew him.

Alain found it hard to recognise where he was as his heavy eyelids started to open. The room was bright, full of noises from the different pokémon and…he was laid on Charizard. It wasn’t what he was used to, so he started to whine. Charizard tried her best to calm by rubbing his back and crooning at him but it was all to no avail really, plus he was still pretty tired, but there was no way he’d be able to drop off again. 

The noises could be heard by Clemont and Bonnie from the other side of the room, and the two of them grew concerned as they started to get louder.

“I’ll go get Professor Sycamore” Clemont said after a few more moments. They didn’t know if this was normal or if there was something wrong, but it wouldn’t hurt to let him know surely. 

Once the two of them had returned, Alain’s whines had turned into sobs and both Charizard and now, a guilty looking Bonnie were trying to comfort him. “I just wanted to try and help him” she told both her brother and Sycamore who gave an understanding nod. 

“Alain? Hey, hey, it’s okay, you’re okay” Sycamore cooed softly to him as he encouraged him to get up. Once Alain was on his feet he gripped onto the loose sleeve of Sycamore’s lab coat and continued to sob. 

“I know, I know. You’re still pretty tired too hmm?... Lets go inside,” he murmured gently and gave both Bonnie and Clemont an apologetic look as he lead Alain back into the lab, being sure to pick Charmie up on the way too. Once they were inside, where it was noticeably much quieter he ushered them into the lounge and sat Alain on his lap, rocking him back and forth as best as he could until he’d calmed down. 

“Bonnie, Clemont and Meyer are here... they’re going to be staying for lunch” Sycamore told Alain who looked up at him once he finally started to speak again. “I’m sorry for not telling you before… but I promise there’s nothing to be scared of” he assured him once he noticed the worried expression that had appeared on his face. 

“Kay” Alain sniffled slightly. Once Sycamore was sure that he was alright, the two of them made their way to the kitchen and were joined by the others a few minutes later. Alain would keep his eyes constantly on Sycamore, not wanting to let him out of his sight. As the table fell into easy conversation whilst he was serving the food Bonnie would try and talk to Alain, but he would just hide behind Charmie and look up at Sycamore until he answered any questions she had for him. 

“I’m sorry Bonnie, he’s just really shy” He explained to her as he set down bowls of stew in front of everyone. “And he’s still tired” he added, as he glanced over at Alain, who was rubbing his eyes and pulling on his earlobes. “I think someone can go down for another little nap after lunch” Sycamore stated as he took a seat next to him. 

“M’not tired” Alain said defensively with a pout on his face as he shook his head. At least he was becoming a little less shy now.

“Is that so?” Sycamore asked as he raised his eyebrows in amusement. The interaction making Meyer chuckle a little, having had the same conversation with both of his kids when they were younger. 

“Come on Alain… you’ve gotta eat up.” Sycamore told him in a sing song way after a few minutes of him not really doing much with the spoon in his hand. His attention was now focussed on their guests… “Please? Charizard and Garchomp would want you to” he pleaded gently and took the spoon away from the boy in an attempt to feed him. 

“Don’t like it” Alain huffed and turned his head away from the spoon that now had food on it right in front of him. Bonnie was watching from the other side of the table, trying her best to supress a giggle as she ate, being mindful to avoid all the vegetables in her dish. 

“You ate this the other day… I know you like it” Sycamore chided before he tried to get the spoon in his mouth once more but with no success. Alain would just look up at him with a pout on his face. 

“And don’t think you’re off the hook either Bonnie” Clemont said disapprovingly once he’d realised that she was actively trying to dodge the vegetables in the stew. “I’ve told you about eating your veggies a million and one times” he sighed as her face dropped slightly. 

“Plus you’ve got to set an example for Alain now” Meyer added and gave Sycamore a quick smirk. Bonnie felt both her brother’s and her dad’s stares boring into both sides of her and eventually she couldn’t take it anymore. “Alright, alright, I’ll eat them” she sighed exasperatedly and picked up her spoon. She didn’t realise Alain was watching her the entire time. 

Alain eventually followed Bonnie’s lead and started to eat. After some time and lots of praise he’d finished all of his lunch and was finding it hard to keep his eyes open.

“We’d better leave you both to it” Meyer chuckled once he noticed Alain’s droopiness. “Thank you for lunch Augustine. It was good to catch up with you both” 

“It was the least I could do for you for coming to do repairs at such short notice” Sycamore replied, shaking his head. “And it was marvellous to see both of you as well” he told Bonnie and Clemont. 

“Can we come to see Alain again one day when he isn’t so tired?” Bonnie asked eagerly, Clemont sighing a little at her choice of words. 

“Of course” Sycamore laughed and ran a hand through Alain’s hair to try and keep him awake for a few more minutes. Maybe he had a new playmate now.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sycamore comforts a regressed Alain during a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, long time no-write i guess? haha uhh i'm really sorry this took so long. I would have written SingMeloetta's prompt much sooner but I was rushed into hospital and had to have emergency major surgery in August. 
> 
> Anyway I hope this is okay? I don't really have a plot anymore so just throw prompts at me if you want more stuff and i'll try my best to do them.

Some nights were worse than others, and there was no way of knowing if or when the nightmares would happen as Augustine tucked in an already half-asleep Alain into bed. He could wish him “sweet dreams” with the utmost sincerity countless times but that wouldn’t really matter because they’d still happen. The two of them had a busy day to say the least- they’d seen Eloise in the morning, met Meyer and Bonnie and Clemont for lunch, and then they’d all been to the park that afternoon. It was safe to say that it had tired Alain out when Sycamore had to stop him from dozing off during dinner that night. Maybe, just maybe he’d be too exhausted for his subconscious to start giving him grief tonight. 

Happy in the knowledge that Alain was settled, Augustine left the room as quietly as he could, having made plans for himself with a bubble bath and a glass of red wine. He’d learned, and also been reminded by Meyer that it was especially important to make time for himself too, and hopefully he’d be able to do just that tonight. He just wanted to tidy up the lounge first before he did anything through as there were toys strewn all over the floor which were starting to be a bit of a trip hazard for himself more than anything. 

\--

“Alain…wake UP!! I didn’t give you permission to sleep. Stop wasting time and get up NOW!!” a stern voice called. It was easily recognisable, and it chilled him to his very core as his eyes snapped open and he scrambled around in his blankets, trying to sit up and fight his fatigue. He was about to call out, apologise and try his best not to let tears fill his eyes because oh god he was scared, but then the realisation slowly hit him that he wasn’t there with Lysandre. He was at home, in his own bedroom that smelt like lavender and was dimly lit with a both a nightlight and the flame of his best friend’s tail who was still deep in slumber, curled up in a loaf shape at the foot of his bed. He let out a quiet, shaky breath, before he laid back down again, putting the new pacifier back in his mouth that Sycamore had bought him today on Meyer’s suggestion, as a replacement for his thumb, which had started to get chapped and sore as the weather turned colder and hugging his beloved charmander plush as tightly as he could. He was able to ground and soothe himself enough to fall back into a relatively easy sleep because of how tired he was. 

\--

Augustine had finally gotten out of the bath and was just putting some pyjamas on when he heard something. He wasn’t all too sure what that something was, as it was a very quiet sound and he was probably being hyper-vigilant, but he froze in place nonetheless, to try and listen more closely to see if anything else was to follow but was met by silence. 

“I’m sure Alain’s fine,” he muttered quietly to himself. He’d know if anything had happened to the boy, as he would be able to hear cries coming from his room, and he’d now gotten out of the habit of dealing with the nightmares all by himself like he used to do. Either way, he decided to make his way to the room down the hallway to check on him just in case. He slowly opened the door and was relieved to see that Alain was still, to his knowledge fast asleep. “He probably just moved around a little” he thought to himself and gently brushed the hair out of Alain’s eyes before he left the room to go to bed himself now that he was satisfied that everything was fine. 

Everything was fine, peaceful even until the clock read 2:24am when Augustine stirred to the sound of loud, painful sobs coming from down the hallway. He sighed quietly to himself as he got out of bed and made his way towards Alain’s room, the now familiar cries getting louder and louder as he approached. 

He wished they weren’t as familiar as they were. 

When he walked into the room he was met with the sight of a boy who, hours before was sleeping so peacefully, but now was sat bolt upright in bed, knees up to his chest as the sobs racked his entire body. When the nightmares would happen, all of the colour would drain from his face and it would take him a little while to realise where he was. 

“Alain? Sweetheart? You’re okay. I’m here… Papa’s here” were the assuring words that finally cut through the endless white noise in the boy’s brain. He finally realised where he was again, and he tried to speak, he really did, but he couldn’t help but cry. 

“Come with me, it’s okay, you’re okay” Augustine said in a soft voice as he coaxed him off of his bed to get him out of the room, not forgetting to pick up all of his comfort items before they left. He knew now from experience that it would take Alain a while to calm down and even longer to fall back asleep, so spending hours awake laid in bed wouldn’t really help much. Instead he led the trembling boy, who was clinging to Sycamore’s free arm like his life depended on it, down the hallway, down the stairs, and into the lounge. 

“Lets sit down” Sycamore suggested and pulled Alain on to his lap once they were near to the sofa. “Shh it’s okay, I’ve got you” he murmured and wrapped his arms around him as tightly as he could, Alain now taking to sobbing into the other’s chest instead. Augustine sighed as he rocked him back and forth and rubbed his back. There was nothing that he could do but to hold him, and to try and soothe him. It was times like now when he felt helpless, he wished he could do so much more, because he hated to see Alain like this, especially because he seemed so much more fragile and vulnerable now in comparison to a few months ago. 

He wasn’t sure whether he’d actually helped Alain, or it was because of sheer exhaustion, but eventually the sobs began to grow quieter and eventually were just the occasional whimper that escaped from his mouth. 

“Are you sleepy?” Augustine asked, and got an expected shake from the boy’s head in response. The problem was, that his body was tired, especially after all the things they’d done and places they’d been that day, but his mind was wide awake. It was like he was almost on edge and anticipating that something scary and bad would really happen to them both at any minute. He needed a distraction, but Sycamore knew all this now having stayed up with him many times after a nightmare now. 

“Okay” Augustine smiled as he tried to stifle a yawn of his own. “I know what we can do” he said quietly and adjusted Alain slightly on his lap before switching on the TV. He’d recorded a documentary about Swanna migration not so long ago so it was a much-welcomed distraction for Alain’s mind. Sycamore just hoped his brain would switch off and realise how much he needed to go back to sleep sooner than later as he held him as tightly as ever and absentmindedly played with his hair, pausing occasionally to see if his eyelids were getting any droopier and once to replace the thumb that had made it’s way into his mouth with his new pacifier. 

Everything that had happened that night had caught up with Sycamore after about half an hour- and to a lesser extent, Alain too, who was now physically less tense than earlier and instead was quite settled. 

There was about 10 more minutes of the documentary left. “I’ll just rest my eyes and put Alain to bed once it’s finished, it looks like he’s getting tired now” Augustine thought to himself as he relaxed into the large sofa which seemed even comfier now, than it had done for the past hour or so. 

Those were the famous last words before he ended up falling asleep, his arms still around Alain who was resting his head on the now-asleep professor’s chest whilst he, himself was struggling to stay awake. His attention had turned away from the noise of the TV and towards the steady heartbeat of his papa, which seemed to be much louder now for some reason. Either way he found comfort in it and allowed it to finally lull him into a somewhat easy slumber for the rest of the night.


End file.
